How to be more productive at home
In those strange times of pandemic, most of us are working from home, and we find that it is not as easy as we thought it would be. We are facing productivity issues, as we are not used to having our own time, and to manage it for our work. So we are all thinking how to be more productive from home. Fortunately, I have been working from home, even before the pandemic, so I have some tips and tricks which help me to be more productive at home.
Create a WORKspace
If you want to be productive you can’t just sit on the couch and expect to do hard work for 8 hours straight. You need to create a space in your home, that will put you in that “work mood”. Clear a desk, or a table, and place only objects that are work related. Keeping a clear desk will help you to stay more focused during work. Seeing random object with your peripheral vision will distract you a lot. Also, make sure that the room you are in, is also clear and tidy, having that office/work mood.
Always have tasks/goals written down
Sitting on your desks in front of the laptop with a lot of tasks to do, and not a clear execution plan is a bad idea and bad practice. I have been doing that for too much time, and it has costed me a lot of time. That’s a newbie mistake, which you should avoid. Not having an executable plan, will just lead to mind wandering, opening and closing different websites, switching tabs, etc… Instead, what you want to do, is to write down all of the task you need to do, and execute them from the most time consuming one. A great book about time management, and how to start with the hardest task first thing in the morning is “Eat the frog“. If you are more of a traditional guy/girl, you can use a simple notepad and a pen to write your tasks down, and leave a “check box” for the finished or not finished tasks. Visualizing like that, will create a clear goal in your mind, and you will execute those tasks without wandering and distracting yourself. If you instead prefer a digital to-do list, I recommend using Trello.com it is a free tool, which will help you to organize your day.
Take breaks
Breaks are really important if you want to stay productive for a longer period of time. You can break down your working cycle in 40-50 working minutes, and then 5-15 break minutes. Working for a few hours straight, will get you burned out, and you will quickly loose focus and found yourself staring at the screen without actually putting any work/thought about it.
Don’t let yourself starve
Working on an empty stomach is hard. Working on a full stomach is also hard. So try to find the balance and use the breaks to get a snack. Also, keep in mind the water is the FOOD FOR THE BRAIN. Keep yourself hydrated if you want your brain to be healthy on focused.
Find a moody/work beat
There are a lot of beats in youtube, which can place you into a working rhythm. You don’t need music with vocals in it, just something that feels good, and gets you in the zone. If you prefer silence and that keeps you more focused, just let it be.
Those are my tips on how to be more productive at home. It’s not magic, those are really simple stuff, but it really helps to get you in the right mood, and not to overburn yourself from work. You can use them not only to work from home, but to finish anything you start.
